


A Final Flower

by websky



Category: Agent Carter (TV), Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Action/Adventure, Bonding, But mostly action adventure stuff, F/M, Family, Family Bonding, Family Feels, Feels, Fluff and Angst, Found Family, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, I'm just sad Shield is over, Kids, Maybe an Engagement, Multi, Romance, Space Adventure, Unexpected Turns, but also satisfied by the ending, but here i am, writing a fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-13
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:13:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25875688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/websky/pseuds/websky
Summary: May’s a teacher, Daisy is in space with her boyfriend and sister, and Mack and Yoyo are out trying to save the world, while FitzSimmons retire with their daughter Alya. Except, Daisy finds something in space that will force the team and family back together again—closer than their planned next year digital meet up. Because if the team doesn’t come together, then well, the fate of the universe could be at stake this time, Daisy tied to the centre of both the problem and the solution.
Relationships: Alphonso "Mack" Mackenzie/Yo Yo Rodriguez, Leo Fitz & Jemma Simmons & Skye | Daisy Johnson, Leo Fitz/Jemma Simmons, Phil Coulson & Melinda May & Skye | Daisy Johnson, Phil Coulson/Melinda May, Skye | Daisy Johnson/Daniel Sousa
Comments: 147
Kudos: 269





	1. Colour Daisy

**Chapter 1- Colour Daisy**

It was beautiful, the nebula destruction, or whatever stars were coming together. Amazing actually—Daisy hadn’t seen anything like it—well in the past few days anyway. The way the stars twinkled, the way the whole thing fluttered, the reds mixed in with one another.

“Amazing, isn’t it,” Kora said, turning off a dial on the zephyr. Daisy wasn’t sure which dial, she still didn’t know how to exactly fly the spaceplane, but her and Daniel were learning with Kora—together, though Daniel was still learning the basics of modern technology, so he was a bit behind Daisy and her younger/older sister. She was technically older if the timelines played out as is, but Daisy was technically older by a few years if they were going by age. So time travel was kind of weird that way. I mean her boyfriend fought in a world war and had admitted to kissing Peggy Carter.

Still, she wouldn’t have it any other way in the moment.

“It’s beautiful,” Daisy said, as a light explosion erupted. It really was, she was back in space—again—and this time with her own Fitz equivalent. It had been good so far, him and her. It had been a little rocky after they’d left the team, as most of her past relationships were baggage she was trying to leave behind, but he’d been good for her. Patient, and kind—he had a good heart, and he appreciated her, so she couldn’t ask for anything better than that.

“Did you ask Simmons to run the anatomy on what we found?” Kora asked, veering the zephyr three towards the planet they’d been originally headed to. They’d been travelling the unnamed planet the last few days, and seemed to be on the right track.

Daisy nodded. “Yeah, she said she’d get it to us by tonight.”

“Which in our time is?” Daniel asked.

Daisy smiled, “Should be in, I’m guessing a few hours.”

Daniel pulled her in closer. “Oh really?” He dabbed along her cheek. “So that means, we have time to do something else as we wait.” Daisy gave a honeyed smile as he kissed her lightly.

“Ah get a room,” Kora said, switching another dial on the zephyr and flying them past the nebula. “Weren’t you going to watch another movie tonight, I better not hear Sousa crying like a baby again?”

Daniel pulled away, and actually looked a little offended. “E.T was very emotional.”

Cutely Daisy padded him away, heading to the back of the zephyr. “And you still cried like a baby.”

“At least I can stay awake through most things we watch—I swear it’s like you’re not paying attention. Just look at the dinosaurs in that one we watched, how did they get those—how can they not be cool to you?” Daisy gave a soft laugh, of course, the dino’s from Jurassic park were believable and amazing, but now space travel was a second nature idea.

Their movie time, it was sweet. She’d been introducing Kora slowly to the new movies not available in the ’80s as well. And often the movie nights included all the old classics- with a few added rom-com. Daniel particularly liked Legally Blonde. Daisy was beginning to like the two of them, a new type of family for her.

A pressure entered her gut as she thought back to her meeting with the gang. She gave another smile to the two in the cockpit and heading for the back of the zephyr.

Daniel followed Daisy down the short set of stairs as she headed to the back of the plane. She was used to being in space at this point too, so there was no need to watch the rest of the nebula explode together.

After all, there was this lump in her throat—that she couldn’t seem to catch or fade off. Suddenly, her smile seemed a bit faded, and she had to stop staring out at the stars from the rear windows.

Coulson, he’d told her to call him when she got back to earth—and, a part of her needed that, her hug with May when she’d arrived back from the chronicoms ship a year ago, her talk with Mack as they headed up to space to find Simmons and Fitzsimmons. These memories, they enforced her family. They were her family, and she was apart from them, just like she always ended up at some point.

She usually was able to push the pain away, she always seemed to run from it, like whenever something drastic happened in her life. But this time, they were all running at a stand-still. All of the team members were apart and had gone their separate ways. They were still a family, but they were a different kind of family—one at a distance. She felt like the kid who’d gone off to college and wouldn’t be back till after the four years. The college kid who missed her family way too much and wanted to go home on weekends, but just didn’t have that option anymore, too far away. 

Seeing them again, even virtually, seeing Coulson—basically her dad; and her robot dad at that—stirred something in her. And she wasn’t sure if it was for the better. She missed them, her family.

Daisy made it back to her and Daniel’s bunk, she needed a second— that chat, with her family, it was a lot. She was having trouble hiding that, she could probably trick her sister Kora about this overwhelming feeling, but—

“Daisy, you good?”

Of course, he was here. He always knew.

“I’m good,” Daisy said. She gave a soft smile, and Daniel, this time wrapped his arms around her more lovingly now that they were in private. He kissed her forehead, it was nice. She was grateful she’d found him, he was a rock she never knew she needed. Someone she pulled out of time and for a change really was someone who’d do anything for her.

It was strange having a guy like that, who was so sound and stable—sure she loved Lincoln, and after his sacrifice, she was crushed, but she and him had been a bit like ice and fire. Which was fine— opposites attracted for a reason. And Daniel and her were those opposites, but in a different way, one which she was starting to really appreciate.

Daniel held her close. Daisy wasn’t sure what came over her, but she was crying, a lot for some reason.

“I’m sorry,” she said, wiping her tears. Daniel sat down with her on their bed. “I just, seeing them, and everyone, I just—I miss them, I miss seeing them every day.”

“Shh.” Daniel soothed a hand over Daisy’s head, stroking her hair like that day they’d bonded so long ago when Nathaniel had cut her open. That was the moment their relationship had changed—they’d become connected by that event, and that trauma led them to notice each other and their feelings for one another.

Daisy sniffed back her tears. “Ha, sorry, I’m fine, just, they’re my family.”

“I know,” Daniel said, continuing to stroke her head. He brought her in close. “It’s okay to miss them.”

Daisy nodded, leaning into his embrace. She was so comforted by him, he smelt like fresh laundry and his hands just seemed to engulf her in a way she didn’t expect she’d ever forget. She’d lost so much, but for once being in Daniel’s arms made her realize she had a lot here with her.

They sat like that for a while, just enjoying each other company. They had a while till they reached their next destination anyway, and Daisy like the peace in Daniel’s arms. “Thanks,” Daisy finally said, leaning back. “I. . . don’t know what came over me.”

“Well, it’s been a year since everything happened.”

“Yeah, but, I—seeing them today, it brings back all these memories of us as a team, I almost wish that—we could have stayed like that.”

Daniel gives her a sad smile.

“Look I know teams don’t last forever, but what we all had, what shield gave me—it changed my life Daniel, and I—I’m so grateful and happy for that.” Daniel grabs her hand and squeezes it. “Of course, I’m also grateful for you,” Daisy added, not thinking for a second as she kept herself in his arms.

“No one is doubting that.” He leaned in again. Kissing the top of her head.

“Sorry, leading another mission in space is just—sometimes staying composed is a bit hard. And a year ago today, I didn’t even know if we’d survive it all.”

“But we did. Thanks to Quake. She can handle herself.” Daniel poked at her. She lightly vibrated him further down the bed with her powers. “Oooh, did you just quake me?”

“So what if I did.” Daisy crawled over Daniel’s stomach and goes down to kiss him, beginning to take off his shirt—when, of course, they’re interrupted.

An agent bursts in, and with no mind for their privacy. Daisy didn’t care that much, everyone on the space team they’d labelled SWORD knew about her relationship with Daniel, and they weren’t shirtless yet, so she couldn’t get too mad.

“Ah, ma’am, you’re going to want to see this.”

Daisy sighed, pulling off of Daniel. “Duty calls I guess.”

The two of them make their way to the front of the plane. A coded message was coming through on the screen, one of the agents trying to decipher it. Daisy cuts in and gets on the keyboard. Quick, she types in a few commands, then a few more, able to get the decipher going. She’d gotten used to doing it after the last few times. She expected it to be the same, so she was genuinely surprised when she saw some new letters pop up.

The fourth translated signal.

_Invenient_

“Same coordinates as last time?” she asked.

“Yes, and it’s the same Latin again ma’am.”

“Is Latin in space weird? Or part of the new normal?” Daniel asked.

Daisy shrugged, after her drug trip with Simmons in space, anything in space she’d consider normal. Though this was a new type of strange.

“What’s it translate as?” Kora asked, as she popped down a few steps from the cockpit, letting someone else take over flying. She’d been getting enough practice at the wheel, she was better than Daisy at this point, but then again, Daisy had a team to lead, no time for flying lessons.

Daisy suspected Kora’s fast learning had to do with Agent Sean, who was a quiet guy with a funny personality that liked to play impractical jokes. He seemed the exact opposite of Nathaniel Malick, a good fit for her as well.

“The full message as of now, _Venite ad me invenient_ translates to, _Come find me.”_

Daisy mulled that one over, with everything in this world; she was surprised by the wording. It could be taken in a positive or negative context. Either someone after them? Or someone in need of help. Unless there was more to the message.

“Anything else?” Daisy asked. But the agent shook his head. She looked over at Daniel. He shrugged, he was fine with his typewriter, he didn’t need any more of this screen stuff then he had to deal with at a time.

Daisy tapped her hands on the railing. There might be another image. She began typing, decoding more of the message, and getting the same. Till some of those 1’s and 0’s turned into an image.

“We’re approaching the coordinates soon, and with the anatomy analysis by Simmons, we should get at least some answers.” Kora stopped rambling as the image appeared on the screen. It was blurry, mixed out, and had come with a few of the other transmissions so far. Except before they hadn’t been able to make it out any physical shape, so even though it was blurry and hard to tell, Daniel was the first one to say was Daisy was thinking. “Is that a blue daisy flower?”

He looked over at her, but Daisy ignored him.

“Finding where these transmissions are coming from are our priority, we’ll be docking on the deserted planet a few hours, lets prep for that people, and go over the mission plan then.”

The crew got back to work, as Daisy went over the general transmission again.

They’d come up into space after an un-codable message started popping up everywhere on earth. With enough time and some help from FitzSimmons, Daisy was able to decode and analyze the first part of the message. And they reached the messages first coordinates, a moon that looked to have once held a civilization in a far off galaxy. On the ground there, they found a transceiver that may have once been sending out the signal and message, but it had been burnt up, and recently. Near the device, was the only living plant life detectable on that particular moon. Daisy had sent the specs to Simmons in hopes she could help her figure it out what it was.

They thought after they found the transmission location they were over with it and went Daisy’s team went on with carrying out the rest of their space mission—of essentially being explorers and categorizing the galaxy now that they knew of all the other intelligent life out there. But they’d been stuck by another message, and with it, new trackable coordinates.

Then today, another message.

 _Come Find Me,_ what did it mean to whoever was sending it? And who exactly was it from. Latin, in space, Daisy admitted that was weird. Plus, it was coded in an alien language, which meant there was a layer to it besides the original message. Were they expected to get more? Or was the picture of the daisy, the last part to it.

Daisy stared down at her tablet. “It might not be a daisy,” Daniel said, staring with her for a second, “but some blue flower, daisy just came to mind first.”

“For now, let’s ignore the image and focus on the coordinates.”

“You got it, Quake.”

Daisy rolled her eyes. Daniel went back to reading his book near the cockpit as Daisy got ready to land, pushing away her earlier meltdown after meeting with everyone virtually. She’d be fine, but her heart was still all over the place.

A _ping_ came on her tablet. Simmons, and her analysis she assumed. Daisy opened up the tablet, but it was just a message asking if they could speak in person about the findings—preferably privately. Daisy frowned, but agreed, finding a spot up near the space decked out quinjet parked up top. She prepped the call, grateful her best friends were some of the smartest people in the world, that, of course, could get universal messages across space-time. Without it, she wouldn’t have been able to meet her team digitally earlier.

Daisy connected into the virtual room in the framework software, this time showing up in Simmons own cottage in Scotland. She was in the home's basement, the games room turned into a partial lab, with toys littering the ground. Daisy was kind of comforted by the fact Jemma chose her home as their virtual meeting place.

“Sorry, I had to wait till Fitz and Alya went to bed. Oh, Fitz was so adorable, fell asleep right after he finished the story.” Simmons shook her head, getting caught in her own memory, Daisy thought she deserved it, the happiness Simmons had. “I know we just talked,” Simmons said, her voice sounded a bit more worried now, “but I needed to discuss this in person with you.”

“What did you find?” Daisy asked.

Simmons bit her lip, she looked nervous, but responded, “Well, I went over the analysis, some really interesting stuff, it seemed to be a plant, that was feeding off a macromolecules found in human DNA, specifically blood—but then as I dug further it got a bit. . .strange.”

“Strange how?”

Simmons stopped biting her lip. “I really wish I could tell you to sit down for this, but who knows where you are right now virtually—so I’m just going to tell you.”

Now Daisy was getting slightly worried, Simmons was fairly calm when it came to new discoveries, if not excited. But nervous, that could only mean something scary.

“It wasn’t just a random person’s blood Daisy.”

Daisy frowned. She didn’t want to admit it to herself, but she couldn’t hide the fear in her brain from what she knew Simmons was going to say.

“My analysis shows not only properties for an alien type of bellis perennis—a daisy—but also, fragments of the GH-325 formula, which wouldn’t be unusual, except, the extra macromolecules make it likely that it’s from your blood.”

Her stomach sank, but Daisy remained calm.

“I know we all just met up earlier, but maybe we should tell Coulson Daisy. He’s generally well versed in these types of situations.”

Daisy gave another smile, and it was genuine, despite being displayed virtually for Simmons. “It’s fine. We theorized it could be something like this, when we found the message, now it’s confirmation, that whoever is sending these messages. . . well, they probably want me to be the one who comes and meets with them.”

“Daisy,” Simmons said, her voice catching.

“Go to bed Jemma, I’ll figure it out.”

“Are you going to tell Sousa?” she asked.

Daisy sighed, “Probably, after we’re done this mission, for now, I appreciate you telling me. . .I’m glad, we could talk so soon again in virtual person or whatever. After everything today.”

“I knew you might be feeling a little glum, cause truthfully, seeing everyone it just makes me miss you guys more. Hopefully, when you’re back from space you can come visit us and Alya again.”

“Oh don’t worry. I’ll be getting Alya one of the coolest space souvenirs she’s ever had. Aunt Daisy will be spoiling her even more than Uncle Mack.”

Simmons laughed, and the two sign off. Daisy taking off her headset that connected her to the virtual meeting. She was alone, and a bit thankful for that as she weighed over everything.

Whoever was sending this coded signal, for some reason they wanted her?

\-------------

Teaching classes wasn’t exactly Melinda May’s first career choice, but it sure was a rewarding one—something she wasn’t expecting after a few months teaching. She’d even heard she was one of the favourite professors on campus—but maybe that came from knowing the guy it was named after.

“Professor May,” Flint said, rushing down the stairs of the lecture hall. Coulson Academy was both a high school that taught grades eleven and twelve, well also a university—all meant to train not only shield agents, but those who wanted to make a difference in the world.

“Nice to see you were actually paying attention in my lecture this time,” May said, closing up her laptop with the prepared slides.

He smiled. “Well, you know me, always a learner.” He scratched his head. “I was actually hoping you could help tutor me with something, I usually ask Mack, but he’s a bit busy lately.”

May collected her papers, smiling. “You can come over later if you’re in need of some help—but I’m only helping you personally because you have the excuse of being out of your element still.”

“Gee thanks Professor May.”

May started walking up the stairs out of the lecture hall, adding the paperwork to her briefcase when Flint stopped her again. “Ah wait, Professor May, I think you forgot something.”

He walked up to her, holding something blue in his hands. It was oddly shaped and tiny. A wilted flower, with a black stem. It looked like; “a daisy, right?” Flint said

Flint handed the flower off to May, she didn’t remember even seeing the flower on her desk. Had one of her students left it.

“Though never seen a blue one like this with red dots. Must be a species I haven’t seen yet, though I am still learning about plant life. Daisy’s are easy to remember because of Daisy, and well—you know all the daisy bouquets they keep in the halls around here. It’s literally in the shield symbol at the entrance next to the Coulson Academy sign.”

May examined the flower, noticing that the red marks weren’t just ordinary dots, but looked a lot like bloodstains.

“Everything okay Professor May?”

And then the flower started wilting, and everything went black.


	2. Blue Lagoon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> LMD Coulson finds out some things and Daisy arrives on a new planet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you scroll through the many posts on tumblr there is a post where someone found a picture of the Coulson Academy logo (the 2nd one out of the two beside the nameplate) and zoomed in close, and there looked to be a daisy inside the logo (though someone in the notes said it looked more like an atom, but you know I’m going to say it’s a daisy—and I think it actually kind of does look like one, but it’s hard to know cause it’s a bit blurry.) Anyway, it was a partial inspiration to parts of this fic, soo let us all just say it’s a daisy. 
> 
> Here's a link to the post:  
> https://webskylar.tumblr.com/post/626311646916263936
> 
> Okay nice, thanks to everyone reading/commenting/kudo-ing, I'm going to go back to mourning for the show, as it makes me write faster. Enjoy the chapter. 
> 
> PS. . . Also, I also realized I forget to write what Coulson was doing in my mini description thing for this fic, well if you were curious, here he is. K cool, thanks friends.

**Chapter 2- Blue Lagoon**

The upgrade sure looked nice on Lola, Coulson couldn’t agree more with Mack’s design as he let it his artificial hand mull over the hood. Mack had really given him a nice little gift. He smiled, his hand brushing over the shield symbol.

He stopped, briefly thinking back to what the team agreed on re-dedicating. The academies were in disarray, so they need a rebranding. So the team had founded Coulson Academy. He was in a way against the idea of the name, but he didn’t say anything in protest when everyone on the team decided to go through with it. To think there’d was an academy dedicated in his honour.

Well, most of the students at that school thought he was dead, but that didn’t matter—and in actuality, he was technically already dead. He kind of forgot that sometimes with the LMD components to him feeling so real. Daisy and May said he had a soul, so despite being made of 1’s and 0’s for now he’d keep on living.

The thought of Daisy, brought Coulson to his one requirement when he agreed to the branding. May having a part to play in the request. The daisy in the shield symbol next to his name, in honour of her and what she’d done and sacrificed to get where she was. Of course, everyone on the team, and his family, was important to him—but Daisy, she was his daughter—even in this robot body. 

Coulson wasn’t even sure if Daisy knew about the flower in the symbol yet, as she’d already gone to space when the unveiling of the academy took place in September, with all the six hundred accepted applicants there to witness the unveiling. But Daisy would see it soon enough when she was back from her mission in space.

The sun moved behind the clouds and Coulson put his sunglass into his pocket. His phone rang and he wondered off handily if he should hook his phone up to his hand or something—it seemed possible, but then again—he kind of liked forgetting he was a robot, or a sort of robot, sometimes. It was a weird mix in his head all the time.

Best to just move on from those thoughts.

“And nice to hear from you Director,” Coulson said, picking up his call. “Weren’t we just talking a few hours ago?”

“Nice to hear your voice again Coulson,” Mack said on the other side of the line. “I just really couldn’t wait to hear your thoughts about the upgrades.”

Coulson shrugged, he leaned on Lola— he was allowed to touch her of course. And this brand new model. “Man is it sweet,” he said.

“I thought you might like it.”

“Is that all you’re calling me for?” Coulson asked, picking up on Mack’s tone.

He could hear Mack shuffle on the other side before he said, “I wanted to thank you for the daisy?”

“As in the flower?” Coulson asked.

“Yeah, you sent one in an envelope, right? There was no note, but it seemed like your thing—unless I’m supposed to pass it onto the real Daisy, but you know she doesn’t work for me anymore.”

Coulson felt if his stomach could loop, this would be that time. “No, I—sorry Mack. It’s not from me.”

There was a beat of silence on the other line as Mack sighed. “Well if this is what I think it is, I might have a bigger issue on my hands.” Coulson could hear Mack on the other side shuffle some more things. He was trying to picture what a blue daisy might look like. Mack was probably thinking it was a sign for something or a message—but Coulson would let Mack run over his own theories regarding the flower.

It was easy enough to estimate, but for some reason, it felt a little eerie to Coulson. 

“Either way, be on the lookout, I’m going to call May next. Who knows, maybe those kids at the academy are making her more of a jokester and this is from her.”

“Right,” Coulson said. That was easily possible, and the most logical conclusion. “Talk later Director Mackenzie.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to hearing you say that,” Mack said before he hung up the phone. But Coulson felt something strange in his head—or programming maybe he should say—a daisy, the flower.

Did it have something to do with her? She was all the way out in space. That was an insane thought, there was no way. He’d just talked with her in the framework room a few hours ago, Daisy was fine. And he had bigger things to worry about.

Coulson stopped leaning on Lola. He sighed as he entered the building. His first stop on his ‘me trip’ adventure was stopping in Tahiti, but it was only a quick stop, no need for vacation this time—and if he was being honest, the alive him hadn’t planned on coming back here. But LMD him had unfinished business.

No one paid him, Coulson, any mind— he looked like any other guy in a suit walking into a bank. He approached the bank teller, bringing up his hands onto the desk. “Hi, I’m here to get something from my safety deposit box.”

She looked up at him confused. He frowned, saying it again in French.

“I speak English sir, I just—we don’t have safety deposit boxes here.”

Coulson tapped the desk. “Maybe find Pablo?”

She gave him another look that made him wonder if he should ask someone else. Maybe it really hadn’t been worth flying his car out here, but then again—Mack really had rigged it with some nice upgrades that made the ride across the ocean worth it—it was faster than the bus he so dearly missed.

“I’ll be right back sir,” the teller said, leaving her post. She ducked into a back room. Coulson sighed and brought his hands off the reception table. Then low and behold, Pablo was shaking his head at him from the other side of the bank by the break room. Coulson smiled, walking up to the friend.

“Really sir, I took this assignment because I thought it’d be my forever vacation, not because you’d rise from the dead.” He looked Coulson over, giving a shiver. “Gosh, I guess you have robot skin now, weird that even when you were dying you knew that your team would bring you back as this.”

“I had my theories.”

“Still after recharging my own batteries in the sun here, I have to say it’s good to see you.”

Coulson smiled, sticking out his hand. “Likewise Koenig.” It was nice to see one of the many Koenig brothers. This Koenig had personally requested this assignment when found out he got to live in Tahiti for the next few years.

“Well, if you’ll just follow me into the secret room you personally had built.” Koenig opened the door to the break room.

Coulson was brought inside and Koenig went straight to pulling out a few books from a nearby bookshelf of paper documents. Behind document 84, he pressed a few hidden buttons, hidden behind a stack of candy behind the file. “I go on snack breaks a lot here,” he admitted, pushing in the button. The bookcase swung around, and Coulson and Koenig took a set of stairs leading down to an underground cavern, that connected with a tidal pool underneath the bank, and with it, his secret deposit box.

Of course, he’d built it for Shield, and had never planned on using it, but now that he was back, well it seemed appropriate he finished old business he’d never settled.

They got to the row of tiny lockers. Koenig fished one opened after inserting a small key. “Retinal scan please.” Coulson wondered if his eyes would work with the body of an LMD. He walked over, the device scanned his eyes, and then the deposit box opened. So it did work then, he really was advanced, Fitzsimmons had done their homework.

“And here you are, Director. . .I mean, agent Coulson? Robot Coulson?”

“Just Coulson is fine.” He grabbed the box.

Koenig shrugged. “Well, if we’re done here, I’m off. For lunch, we’re having tacos, and man, is the food great here, thanks for setting me up with the executive suite by the way. And I guess I’ll be seeing you later. . .Coulson. Thanks again for the assignment.”

Koenig walked up the stairs, and Coulson stared at the box waiting to hear the door of the bookcase close. He then proceeded to slide the box open, pulling it from the locker. A paper bag was inside, a bit crumpled, but intact. He pulled out the black-stat phone.

He pressed the dial button. He pressed the button again, and there was no answer on the other side. “Should have figured that much,” he said, trying one more time and getting no answer. “It’s not like Fury to ever return a voicemail.” He put the phone back. He’d heard about the impact of the snap—something they’d missed by being in the quantum realm apparently, but for Fury to be actually gone this time, it felt foreign. He’d always been secretly in contact before and after he died. He kind of hoped to get a rundown on what happened with the Avengers and Thanos, but alas he wasn’t really that Coulson, so maybe time for owing Fury was long overdone. It’d been a year; he was good to do what he needed on his own terms.

Still, he opened up the sat phone and dialled a secret numbered code. A compartment opened, and a small yellow circle ball dropped out of the side. It was a companion to the black toolbox, only this time only Coulson knew about it now that Fury was gone.

He’d left Mack a coded message, if he ever needed to find it desperately Coulson had faith in his team, but seems the problem had never arisen. And now, he had it again.

He clicked the yellow ball in between his fingers, it was smaller than most pebbles, easier to lose then the back of an earring, but it held a key importance.

Coulson sighed; he brought out his arm and opened a small compartment on his elbow. He put the yellow pebble inside. This was his secret now, as he closed the area on his arm. He hated when he used himself like the machine that he was.

He put the phone back inside the safety deposit box, ready to lock it up, but before he did. A piece of blue stood out to him, hidden beneath the paper bag. It was strange, this box was impossible to reach for even dust mites with how locked and sealed it was. The fact that anything was in the box was suspicion enough, only his alive self—and the Koenigs—knew anything about this deposit box. And the Koneigs wouldn’t have betrayed him, he knew that much, if they’d betrayed him in any way he’d have been able to see it. But they helped him with the helicarrier before, and he trusted them with this.

Still, there it was, like it had appeared out of thin air. Not something completely impossible with all he’d seen. Coulson pushed away the brown paper bag and picked up the blue object. It wilted as his cold fingers touched it. He pulled it out of the box. Its stem was black.

“A blue daisy,” he said, looking it over carefully. He didn’t get much of a chance though; the black stem wilted, a thickness to the plant trying to penetrate into his skin.

This was a weapon. And if he’d been human it would have worked too.

Coulson threw the daisy on the ground, the blue bits to the top turning red as spots flooded over it, like blood from an open wound. The black stem penetrated the rock of the cavern, stopping as the flower completely wilted and disappeared.

Was this the same flower Mack had received? But why was it here of all places? As if he was a target? Coulson had a bad feeling about this. Seems he’d be ending his trip in Tahiti early after all.

\---------

Daisy sat at the commander’s chair of the zephyr, watching as the aircraft made its descent onto the ground after breaching the planet’s atmosphere. Her eyes adjusted to the sun after blinking more than a dozen times.

“We have a name yet?” she asked Daniel, who’d joined her in the cockpit. The planet was orange-like, and desserty—if the Sahara desert had a yellow sky and two visible moons, she’d maybe compare the two.

Sousa shrugged. “Maybe Elle?”

Daisy turned over, tilting her head, a bit wide-eyed. “Elle?”

He nodded.

“You mean after Elle, from Legally Blonde? The movie I’m pretty sure is in our collection, but I have no recollection of watching with you yet.”

“Hey, it wasn’t from the movie. . .” Daisy gave Daniel the look, “Okay, so maybe Kora and I watched it while you were busy with the other recruits yesterday in a debrief,” he said. “But come on, it was on your recommended list.”

Daisy burst out laughing. “Okay tiger, it was on the list, I’m just impressed you watched it and apparently liked it.”

“It was empowering, helped me understand the feminist side of things better in the legal department system of the United States.” Daisy didn’t decide to burst his bubble about the accuracy represented in the movie, but for now, she was just going to fawn over her little dork beginning to enjoy watching movies even without her. Wait till he discovered Star Wars, would he think the lasers in space looked different to the real deal? He’d probably call it unrealistic after all they’d seen up in space.

“Planet L—it is then,” Daisy said, getting up off her chair.

The zephyr landed gently on the planets' surface. Daniel put his hand into Daisy’s palm. She rolled her eyes, but it was sweet the way he did so, as she squeezed his hand. He kissed it.

“I’ll go grab Kora, her and I should be ready for the scouting mission right?”

Daisy nodded, as Daniel’s hand left hers and a big empty feeling entered her chest.

She was still feeling a bit melancholy after the phone call with Simmons a few hours ago, but in her head, she knew everything was okay. Even though the team wasn’t with her physically, they were with her in spirit, and they were all leading their separate lives apart from her, and in a year they’d all meet up together again. It was as simple as that. Every year, she’d never lose them, they’d be together.

Scratching her nose Daisy sighed. Without Daniel beside her, she really didn’t know how she would have made it through this long journey without her family in space again. Somehow it seemed easier when there was a mission of rescuing Fitz. Pulling her hand back from her nose, Daisy noticed an odd black line curving around her hand.

She studied it. It was her vein, it had turned black. Daisy looked up at the main sun for the planet they were on—it was an orange-hued, easy to spot in the yellow sky, and the moons were visible nearby as small little black dots. She typed a few things onto the zephyr computer. The test for the atmosphere said the planet's air was breathable, but Daisy wasn’t sure, should she risk it? If her veins were turning black—though it could of have just been the lighting?

She looked at her palm again, this time the black line was gone, returned to its original state.

She frowned. Huh, maybe she imagined it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> But we all know she didn’t imagine it- huh, what, pshhhh. . .did I type that out loud? 
> 
> So theories and speculation? I love to hear from you guys. Anyone with a correct theory will get a shoutout in the notes when all is revealed. 
> 
> Okay, stay cool my friends (or nerds, I'm a nerd, and --I think-- I'm proud of it). 
> 
> Hope you can all fill the void of missing shield with fan fiction and rewatching old clips on youtube like me. Have you ever read the Agents of Shield Wikipedia page? Well now I have—and it’s a reason this chapter is getting posted just a little bit later.


	3. Golden Planet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We catch up with Mack and Fitz, then see where Daisy's group lands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cheers friends, going to try and post once a week, let's see how that goes, all depends on inspiration. 
> 
> Also to be clear about this fic, it's in the universe the snap did happen, but it's been a year, and since the group was in the quantum realm no one disappeared from our group cause of Thanos. So people aren't over the snap-- but like have adjusted. . .you know, like we all have to adjusted to covid. . .yay she says sarcastically, wear your masks kids.

**Chapter 3- Golden Planet**

Flipping over the small flower in his hand Mack studied it. The thing sure was strange. Odd—and the fact it hadn’t come from Coulson made it even odder. Maybe Yoyo would know—no she was on a mission best not to bug her. Could be some weird joke from Bobbi or Hunter—Mack doubted that, he was in contact, but he knew they had their own business they needed taken care of. He imagined he’d be seeing them soon though.

Still, Mack wondered. Maybe it was worth giving Simmons a call.

His phone rang; the number popping on screen didn’t surprise him. He picked up.

“Turbo, hey, was just thinking of calling your wife.”

There was a bit of silence, then shuffling on the other end—“No, Alya, Daddy is very busy—yes, don’t worry. Let me talk to Uncle Mack.”

Mack sighed, same old Fitz, always distracted by something—in this case, it was fair though. He twirled the blue daisy around in his fingertips. “Hey Turbo, seems you’re a little busy, is this important, or should we talk later?”

He did have a meeting soon, one that Piper and Davis were going to be attending virtually. Then he had a meeting with a UN government official and another meeting following that—gosh now that Mack was director back in the real world, he sure didn’t envy Mace when he had the job, and even why Coulson handed it off to him. No one could replace Coulson though, he as Director really was the superb option. Of course, as an LMD, Mack really couldn’t vouch for the 1’s and 0’s Coulson, but it did feel nice having him around again.

“Hello, Mack are you there?” Fitz’s voice sounded a little panicked on the other end.

“Yeah, what’s the matter?”

There was some more commotion as Fitz said, “No Alya, not now, go pack for your trip to Nana’s.” Fitz gave out a long sigh on the other end of the telephone. “Mack, sorry it’s been a little hectic.”

“Hectic? Fitz, are you and Simmons all good?”

“No, Mack I’m calling to warn you—the daisy, did you receive a blue daisy!”

Mack stopped twirling the same blue daisy he’d been staring at. Well, that wasn’t who he was expecting; though with Fitz retired he wouldn’t put it past Fitz to be sending prank gifts. Or maybe this was some kind of make-up thing, Mack knew that Daisy and Fitz had had a rocky relationship ever since his doctor persona kind of well, tortured her, to save the Lighthouse base. But Mack knew the two had made a few strides toward fixing that friendship.

“Yeah, it’s right here, though I’m not sure the meaning behind it, but either way, I’ve never really seen a flower-like it.”

“Mack! You can’t touch it, that flower. . .”

His voice droned out. Part of the flower began to dissolve, the black stem, which Mack had found odd, to begin with, implanting itself and digging into the skin on his wrist. They were like moving thorns, Mack felt woozy—what was this?

“Mack!” Fitz’s voice shouted through. But Mack felt his body crash into his desk and onto his carpet. Part of the flower weaved into his arm and crawled under his skin—like an invasive species. He pressed the help button under his desk, not enough energy to do anything else. His eyes grew heavy. Looks like he wouldn’t be going to that meeting after all, was what he thought before passing out.

\---------

“Mack!” Fitz called into the phone, and even though the line was still open, there was no response, just a loud thump. The line went dead a few seconds later.

“No, no!” Fitz banged his hand on the table. Alya, who’d been coming down the stairs with her pink backpack with little butterfly and fish pins, was startled by the interruption. “Oh, sorry Alya, it’s okay.” Fitz hung up the phone and picked her up.

“Will mama be alright?” she asked, Fitz rocking her a bit.

“Yes, don’t worry mama will be fine.” He ticked her. She laughed as he let her hang upside down for a second, and then he put her back on the ground. “Now grab some things from the playroom, your grandmother will be here soon to pick you up.” Alya did just that, laughing as she ran off to her toy basket.

Fitz’s fake smile turned around, the worry in his gut making him nauseous.

He wandered downstairs into the lab and over to the couch they’d insisted on having to make the space more comfortable. Where Simmons was.

He’d hooked her up with a heart monitor to look over her vitals. For right now she seemed stable, but who knew what that flower had done. It had all happened so fast.

Simmons had been going over her research for Daisy, chatting about it, going over theories. Fitz had said he didn’t care, he was retired; she was welcome to continue though. He’d honestly had had enough with Shield and everything he’d done for them. He loved the team, but he had his own family, they were his priority now, Alya was.

He should have paid more attention, now as he went over the files he was nothing but confused. The flower Simmons had grabbed was a daisy, and it had something to do with the person— Daisy’s blood—he couldn’t make sense of her notes though. Why would Simmons have combined the real Daisy’s DNA with this alien species? It didn’t make sense, none of it did. Unless Daisy herself had already come in contact with this? Then why wasn’t that in Simmons's notes? Fitz wished that he’d been more involved in the research.

It’d been so quick too. Simmons had been in the garden with Alya, and their daughter had brought over the blue daisy, handing it over like a present. Fitz had been watching from their kitchen, cooking dinner when he’d noticed the flower. He thought it was sweet, Alya liked to collect flowers and Simmons would tell her the scientific name or facts about them. Only, this time there was something in Simmons's eye when she observed the flower, her face turning downcast.

Then she got up, bringing the flower with her inside, hand in hand with Alya. Simmons turned on the TV for Alya, a treat in their home, and something that made Fitz realize something worse was at play.

“Simmons,” he’d asked concerned.

“I—we need to call Coulson or Mack, this flower—I, I need to start analyzing it.” She went down to the lab and never came back up. When Fitz got to her, she had already collapsed, part of the flower’s stem dissolving and burying its way inside her; blue petals that turned red dissolving onto her skin.

He’d screamed, and had a major freak out, only calming down thanks to Alya nearby, scared by the commotion. He helped her get his act together. He called his mom to come grab her, and then made sure Simmons was okay, well she wasn’t fine, but she was stable, nothing out of the ordinary with her core body temperature, just an alien flower having disappeared into her skin. Or he presumed alien anyway.

Fitz looked down at her wrist, he could see the stems of the flower, black—more like black veins now, entered into her. The blue daisy had all but disintegrated.

Fitz tapped Simmons on the cheek, but nothing. Whatever had happened, that flower had knocked her out—and might even be poisoning her. The blood results came back fine, and she was breathing normally. It was like she was just asleep.

He’d called Mack hoping for help, but this—this was out of his element again. No, that was wrong, he just didn’t want to deal with this alien stuff, he wanted to be done with it, but yet it kept making its way back.

Fitz tried getting a hold of Daisy’s spaceship, and he did get through, but he was told the group were off on planet, they’d be back soon, he’d have to chat then. It was based on the analysis that Daisy sent, whatever entered Simmons. Coulson, he wasn’t in reach for some reason. Fitz wondered if he might hold an answer. He somehow always did.

Bending down, Fitz kissed Simmons's forehead. She didn’t stir.

If Fitz could invent time travel, he would figure out a way to save his wife. He’d just had to get digging—whatever this blue daisy was, he’d find out.

\---------

The planet L, wasn’t particularly hot, at least in Daniel’s perspective. He was pretty new to this whole space travel thing, but for now his own thoughts on planets told him this one was pretty decent. He was wearing a one-piece type suit that would react well to the new atmosphere, but he missed his business casual outfit—well to him it was business causal, to Daisy, she called it formal. But he was getting better, the only reason he was wearing what he was now was for safety protocols. The planet’s surface was breathable though, a plus, not toxic also, in Daniel’s book that was a win—as most planets seemed to want to kill them lately. It was just, well getting hotter out.

Daniel wiped some sweat from his brow.

“We’re almost at the coordinates,” Daisy said, looking up from her tablet up ahead. Kora was in front of her scouting, her arms out and ready if she needed to use her power.

Daisy tapped her sister on the shoulder, “Hey, I love the look-out upfront, but don’t forget to look behind us.”

“Behind, isn’t that Daniel?”

“Yes, well, he gets distracted sometimes.” She gave him a cheeky look, he returned it with one, but he wasn’t even offended. “Make sure to check your sixth, it doesn’t hurt to make sure that our behind is alright. Even if we have an agent stationed there, in the unknown you have to be prepared for anything.”

Kora nodded, keeping her arms out and scouring the area. Daisy would occasionally look up herself to make sure their rear and front were okay, but her focus was on these coordinates. She seemed a bit out of it ever since her call with the group a few hours ago—she was fine, and they’d had a nice talk earlier, but he was still slightly worried.

Daniel trusted Daisy, but she wasn’t exactly someone who liked to lay her problems on him. She was getting better, but she closed off from time to time, especially when it concerned her past with Shield. Daniel knew a lot of it; she’d opened up very briefly about little things from time to time—mostly after nightmares.

A few weeks ago they’d had a very deep talk about the scars on her stomach after a particularly good afternoon in bed. As they lied naked he’d asked her about it, dragging his hand over the scars.

“I was shot,” she said, “point-blank, twice in the stomach. All to lead us to some alien serum to help save me.” She didn’t go more in detail, but Daniel got the gist of it. She seemed to have more than a few scars, and trauma instances.

She’d woken up just a few nights ago after going to a very hot planet, with fires all over the place lighting up one after the other. Daniel hadn’t gone on the planet, but Daisy and Kora had. In bed that night Daisy had woken up from a particularly bad nightmare, asking someone to please ‘not burn her’. Daniel knew about Lincoln, and every so often Daisy would wake up crying about him, saying his name in her sleep. He’d thought this nightmare had to do with him.

“No,” she’d said. “It had to do with Robbie—well, ghost rider possessing him.”

Daniel didn’t ask for an elaboration. Daisy instead gave it to him. In bed, lying there together she was a lot more vulnerable with him.

“I asked him to kill me,” she admitted. Daniel stroked Daisy’s leg. “I wanted to die Daniel.” She wasn’t crying, but her eyes had that sad look like she might burst into tears at any second.

“But you’re okay, we’re okay.”

She nodded, Daniel grabbing her hands. She squeezed his. They stayed in silence for a while, eventually, Daisy fell back asleep, and Daniel, he kept her hand in his. He didn’t want to lose anyone else. He’d been dragged out of time, which at that stage he’d been mad about, fairly he thought, but now, in a way he was grateful, he loved Daisy, he really did.

Which was why, when he got back to earth with her he had plans to get a ring. He’d only told Coulson about it at Christmas, even if he was kind of a robot, he was also kind of Daisy’s father.

He’d simply said. “You have my blessing, but—I, think you need to wait.”

Coulson was right, it was early, he’d only known Daisy seven months at the time. Which wasn’t unusual in his time, but for now, he thought Coulson was correct. “Even if she seems settled, she’s—no, even if she is ready—I think you need to get her to open up more, be with you.”

Either way, when this trip was over, he would propose. Who knew, maybe even out here, he’d find a galactic space ring.

Daisy’s tablet beeped. “It’s just up ahead,” she said, hurrying her step. Daniel followed behind, closing the distance so they could walk side by side. He still didn’t understand the tablet, but he knew enough by Daisy’s reaction to know they were close. Besides the message, _Come Find Me,_ lingered in his mind. Latin, why? Then there was that image.

“Here!” she said, the two stopping on a ridge Kora was already looking out over.

“What the. . .” Daniel said.

He couldn’t believe it, there must have been thousands. Now he knew for sure the image he’d seen had to be one of them. It couldn’t be anything else.

Blue flowers.

“They’re—“

“Daisies,” Daisy herself finished a bit of fear mixed on her face. Daniel looked out, the yellow tint to the sky making the blue of the flowers growing in the sand stand out. It was, eerie.

“You guys stay up here,” Daisy said. “I’ll be going down alone.”

Kora and Daniel looked at each other, they both were thinking about saying otherwise, but neither did. Daisy was the boss here, and she did have pretty-cool earthquake powers in case anything happened.

So why did his chest kind of hurt as he stared out over the field of flowers? Just what exactly had this signal led them toward?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WELL!?!??!!  
> Love to hear your guys predictions on what's going on. I will give shout-outs to anyone who kind of has an idea (of course only when all has been revealed will I say if you're right). 
> 
> Like the predictions from fictional_fangirl03 and httpstarks, guess you'll both have to wait and see though.


	4. Black Veins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daisy finds some daisies, and Fitz and Yoyo try to see what's wrong with their friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like how I said shorter update but it takes me two weeks to update. . . *hides away in shame*  
> WELL HERE IT IS NOW AND THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE OUT SOONER (I think, it's hard to keep promises when you're publishing your fan-fiction story into the voids of the internet)
> 
> Anyway, ENJOY FRIENDS!

**Chapter 4 Black Veins**

Daisy slid down the cliff face. Quaking up a bit, she landed gracefully in the centre of the flower field. Something, it didn’t feel right though. The flowers, everything just felt sort of neutral. A puff of blue like dust flew around her, some of the petals falling off their leaves after her quaked landing. She ignored it, but the dust didn’t smell like she expected, it was almost fruit smelling? No. . .either way they didn’t smell like daisies. She took in the air, coughing as she got a whiff of the flower pollen in her throat. It tasted awful, like blood.

She cringed, just what were these things.

_Daisy_

She turned her head. That voice, it almost seemed in her head, or was it out loud? She looked down at the flowers, the dust fading. Though they were moving as if hit by a gust of wind? Daisy felt the air around her, but the planet felt calm. She tilted her head, bending down, but pulled back when she heard something.

“Daisy!” Daniel shouted from above.

She turned her head back and looked up at him and Kora peering from the edge of the cliff. It was a good thirty feet up, maybe Kora could come down, but not Daniel. Daniel was a man out of time, and he had no superpowers to help him through. “You alright?” Daniel confirmed. He looked worried even from so high and far away.

Daisy nodded and shouted, “Yeah, I’m fine.”

_Skye_

Daisy’s head flipped back, the flowers on the ground popping out slightly, turning red nearby her. There steams to, they were black, had they always been like that? She bent down, that voice saying Skye—it had always sounded like Ward this time.

_Quake_

Daisy turned back again, this time a flower behind her turning a darker red, then it faded to black, disintegrating. She leaned back, a bit startled, but she felt compelled as if to touch it. That voice, it had sounded like. . .Robbie? She had just had that dream last night, but that—that was so strange. It couldn’t have been. She bent her hand down, going to grab a petal. Behind her, another voice sounded, though directly to her head.

_Mary_

She stood back up, taking a few steps back. That voice, it sounded like Miles that time, or someone similar. He had called her Mary when they first met, before she called herself Skye. Daisy tended to try and forget her first ever known name the orphanage gave her. 

But a feeling in her stomach dropped. She felt something crawl up her leg. She looked down, the black stem of a flower wilting its way around her. She quaked it off, the stem disintegrating but managing to cut her leg shallowly, a drop of blood landing from her pant leg onto the flowers.

The flowers around her all started turning red. Each blue daisy reflecting the colour of blood just dropped down on one.

_Destroyer of Worlds._

That menacing had voice sounded like Deke—but that was impossible. Okay, something was up, and all Daisy could really see to blame was the daisies.

She reached to quake the flowers, but suddenly her veins start turning black. A voice froze her in place. 

_Daisy, I need you._

Daisy blinked. “Lincoln?” she whispered. The sky above was taking on a red hue, though maybe it was just some of the flowers dissolving near her and letting a red puff of energy into the sky. She felt stuck in place, all the flowers were now red, black stems turning into vines and reaching out of them.

A sky colour turned to that of red crimson, then black. All at once, as the black to her veins reached her neck, the flowers turned a dark black. Then, they all crumpled, turned to dust and dissolving into the air.

A jolt of energy and pain shot into Daisy. She cried out, and vaguely she heard Daniel and Kora calling out to her, but she remained quiet, stilled, her eyes blinking heavily as more of the sky above her turned red—no it was turning black, like the flowers.

She looked down, feeling her veins turned black to the brim, standing out along her pale skin. She tried to quake, but a few bruises appeared instead her power directed inward when she couldn’t move.

_There you are._

This last voice in her head it was unrecognizable. She felt a pain shoot through her skull and her eyes forced closed as she collapsed on her knees.

\----

Yoyo sat with Fitz across from her. She’d cancelled/delayed her mission as soon as she’d heard the news. Mack had collapsed and he wouldn’t wake up. She tapped her hand impatiently as Fitz tried to explain a few things to her—apparently, the same thing had happened to Simmons, as well as May— a desperate call she’d received from Finn as soon as she got the news about Mack.

Fitz said a few more complicated science words and Yoyo finally just shouted, “In easy to understand English Fitz, what’s wrong with them!”

He looked downcast before finally saying, “I-I. . .I don’t know.”

May, Simmons and Mack were all hooked up to some medical machines as Fitz and her stayed out at a safehouse in an undisclosed location with a few shield doctors on standby. They were all in medical terms—considered asleep, in a coma, but brain waves showing they were asleep. Not in any pain, or in any distress. The equipment couldn’t even pick up if they were dreaming. However, the veins along their wrists and arms, they had turned black. Like the daisies that had dissolved. It was barely visible, but each passing hour it seemed to reach further into their friend’s skin.

Yoyo crossed her arms and leaned back. “But Mack—”

“And my wife Simmons and May, and—”

“Okay,” Yoyo said. She gave a delicate sigh, texting Piper who just asked for an update. Honestly, she just didn’t know at this point. What were they supposed to do when even Fitz was stuck on this? And she knew if anyone could figure it out it would be him; well him and Simmons—and without Simmons. Yoyo’s expression deepened as she kicked at the coffee table.

“What are we going to do?” Yoyo asked.

Fitz opened his mouth to reply, but quieted, looking in the direction of where Simmons was lying peacefully. The heart monitors keeping track of all their friends heartbeats. “Whatever this is, I think it’s tied to Simmons's research on the alien material Daisy found, maybe if we can get a clear answer from Daisy and the SWORD team—whenever they’ll call back.”

“Of course, always Daisy and her problems were running into. She left to form SWORD for her own reasons and now we're being dragged in. Alien flowers and all.”

“The question is why, why didn’t we get them?” Fitz asked, he actually seemed largely puzzled.

“Pardon?”

“We’re hypothesizing these flowers are connected to Daisy, and I don’t think you’re wrong—but, why didn’t we receive one? There have been no other cases worldwide, and even though I can’t get in contact with Coulson I don’t think he would be affected.” Fitz tapped his hand on the coffee table. The safe house was small, but comfortable, and he’d already had three cups of tea since arriving, along with a small call with Alya when she wanted the answer to a scientific question, that grandma couldn’t answer.

Yoyo thought it was cute, and she thought maybe one day, maybe if she could, her and Mack could have their own child—or what she’d really had her heart set on, adoption. Maybe an older teenager, like Flint, they’d taken him under their wing, unfortunately being a spy was the least optimal environment to raise someone. But mentoring a torn from home teenager, Yoyo could get behind that. Still, she hated to think of all the dangers she brought on—just look at this situation. Of course, Fitz’s own relationship with Alya made her jealous, and crave just that something.

“Why didn’t we receive the daisies. . .I was part of the original team, but Mack wasn’t—and it wasn’t just females, as you’re fine Yoyo, and again Mack’s not. They’re all different from one another, I just—there is no pattern to why those three got infected.”

Yoyo leaned back. “You believe this is connected with Daisy more than just on a service level of her finding them?”

Fitz frowned, but nodded. “The DNA component to what Simmons was studying was mixed with Daisy’s blood, at first I thought she added the component, but it seems the other world component already had her DNA when she arrived on planet—or something along those lines. I just, the analysis she ran came back with different readings, it seemed to shift, each state—the blue one isn’t its only state, but we don’t know the other states.”

“I do.”

A looming presence walked into the room, but a familiar one.

“Sorry, I walked in the room earlier, but you didn’t notice, and that corner was fairly dark.”

“Coulson?” Yoyo and Fitz both said in unison.

I unexpected, yet entirely expected visit.

“It seems our friends have fallen victim to the same flower I found.” Coulson looked over, his eyes lingering on May a bit longer than appropriate.

“Wait? You saw the flower?” Yoyo asked.

Coulson rolled up his sleeves. “Yep and I would have contacted sooner, but well—cell reception in the middle of the Pacific isn’t great with Lola, but she flew here fine.” He coughed. “But yes, I did come in contact with it.”

“Where?” Fitz asked. “Right now it seems both Mack and May had theirs delivered, but Simmons, well actually Alya, found ours in our garden.”

Coulson tapped his chin. “Well, that’s more explainable then where I found the flower. In a locked safety deposit box with an eye scanner, and I don’t think it was there beforehand based on security footage. It appeared as soon as I opened it.”

“Stupid alien flowers,” Yoyo muttered. “They make no sense; we need to get in contact with Daisy and her team.”

“I’ve tried, they’re exploring a planet right now,” Fitz said.

“Well bring them back!” Yoyo yelled. “Clearly this takes precedence, these are our friends.”

Coulson looked between the two, and then his eyes lingered back to May. He walked over and patted his hand over her forehead. “Like she’s asleep,” he mumbled.

“You said you saw the other states?” Fitz asked.

He nodded. “They turned red, and the black steam seemed to grow into the ground and expand, solid rock I might add. If my body wasn’t, well you know, then I think it would have infected me like our team. But I was able to throw it off in time, and then, well it disintegrated.” Coulson sighed. “I had Koenig do a thorough check after, but the flower, or whatever it was, just vanished, no trace.” He looked over at Mack then Simmons. Finally, he brought his hand up from May’s forehead. Dragging a hand through her hair, he gave a soft smile that turned into a frown.

Fitz tapped his chin, but Yoyo was frustrated by them getting nowhere. There had to be some info they could get from here.

“I’m still confused on the targets of the flower, what’s the commonality if Coulson was also a target. Was it our significant others, were we all supposed to gather? But why?” Fitz mumbled away some more, but Yoyo just rolled her eyes as he used some English words she wasn’t familiar with.

Yoyo let out an exasperated grunt. She was done, time to go for a cool off outside, though that meant leaving Mack. She hated all this alien stuff, ever since that bat thing entered her stomach she had been done with space and everything in it. Plus her time in the future had already been too much. Though she did meet Flint and have him come back, so it wasn’t all bad she guessed. Still there had been plenty of worse things than space, like that rift; that had been pretty awful, all the while she’d been under those drugs cause of her arms, what an awful time.

Yoyo sat up, her eyes recognizing something. “What is it?” Fitz asked, Coulson curious as well.

“It’s who Daisy likes.”

“Pardon?” Coulson said, he didn’t exactly look convinced.

“It’s the people she’s closest to.”

Fitz and Coulson were still giving her a blank look.

“Think about it Fitz, have you and Daisy ever had a proper discussion after you cut into her and took out the chip from the rift. You practically scoot around each other like your only work colleagues, not like you used to be friends.”

Fitz stayed silent for a second, turning away as an awkward silence filled the air. “I. . .have no need to bring the past up, I still stand by my decision.”

“Exactly, that’s the point Fitz—Daisy has never recovered her friendship with you after that, you talk sure, but not like you used to.”

“What about you?” Coulson asked. “I thought you and Daisy were friends?”

Yoyo bit her lip and replied, “And I’d like to think she still sees us that way. But ever since I killed Ruby she hasn’t—I think she forgave me, but she never saw me the same way.”

Yoyo didn’t regret that either, but if these flowers were targeting people close to Daisy maybe that was the point. Daisy hadn’t forgiven her. Maybe their friendship really had strained, she’d thought they were fine again. But they hadn’t hung out one on one since, so who was she to tell. Maybe Daisy actually hated her now.

“You honestly think these flowers are only going after people close to Daisy.” Fitz looked over at their infected team members. He then asked, “What about Daniel and Kora? The crew said they were fine, after all the major flower infecting incidents, which appeared to happen at the same time I might add.”

A large ring buzzed from the screen. All three turned their heads to the video screen. A call coming through on the other end, it was from Daisy’s spaceship.

“Let’s find out then,” Coulson said.

He picked up the call, a frantic Kora with a cut on her forehead on the other side. From the first instance, she appeared on screen the team knew it wasn’t good news. “It’s Daisy,” she said with a bit of panting to her tone, “she stopped breathing.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SOOOOOO what you guys think is happening!?!?!
> 
> Shout out to AgentsOfsHiELd, fictional_fangirl03, AgentNatty, Daisy Bucky Rogers (denishaw)  
> for your theories. All will be explained (well hopefully) soon. 
> 
> I'm honestly super excited for the next chapter, as some answers will finally be revealed as to what happened to our favourite SHIELD friends!
> 
> Thanks for reading (have a good night-- it's night on the west coast at least-- or happy morning to those reading then, or afternoon, whatever time you're reading, dusk/dawn/space/underwater, HAVE A GOOD NIGHT/DAY!)


	5. Grey Grass

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daniel and Kora freak out over Daisy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Appreciate you lovely people enjoying my story.

**Chapter 5**

Daniel saw Daisy fall. He didn’t even hesitate to start climbing down the slope of the cliff. Kora was the one to stop him. “I’ll grab her,” she said, surprisingly calm. Blasting her powers she descends downward, grabbing Daisy who’d fallen victim to the disintegrating flowers it seemed.

They turned such different colours, and then, Daisy she grabbed her head and just collapsed.

Kora flew downward and grabbed Daisy, hoisting her on her shoulder she came back up. Daniel felt the worry in his stomach.

He should have never let her go down there, he should have been more careful, ever since they received that Latin message and those images—it all felt so unavoidable, but it could have been. He didn’t have to do anything, he could have just stayed, convinced Daisy to stay, forget about what was happening, gone to another planet. But that wasn’t Daisy, she liked to solve, and this problem oh she wanted to solve. She thought these flowers had something to do with her, and Daniel feared she was right.

Kora returned lying Daisy on the sandy ground. There were these strange black lines trailing her body, along her arms and neck, all the way to her cheeks.

“Daisy,” Daniel said, getting on his knees next to her. He shook her, but her eyes remained closed.

“She, I—ah. . .she wouldn’t respond to me either.” Kora's face blanked.

Daisy was the leader, and she wouldn’t take charge now. Daniel would have to.

“We’ll bring her back to the ship,” Daniel said. He picked Daisy up, delicately. She didn’t stir. She was completely unconscious, and the black lines, veins they seemed, almost pulsed. Her heartbeat, it sounded louder?

Kora nodded, she seemed worried but didn’t respond with anything else. 

Daniel carried Daisy with him as Kora scouted the perimeter close in front. It worried Daniel how her heartbeat seemed to increase. He wasn’t even paying attention to what was in front of them, when a large mountain of sand swung down at them. A sand storm? Or a moving sand storm.

Kora used her powers to bat the wave of sand away, but a black vine shot from the depths of the growing hill. It grappled Kora’s arm, luckily she was able to burn it off. But not before another vine shot off and hit her forehead, spiking and pooling blood along her face.

Daniel ducked, wanting to help, but also protect Daisy. He dove out of the way, clutching Daisy close. As he lands though, blue daisies pop out of the ground. It really put a name to pushing daisies as he pulled back from them. The stems to the flowers reached out though, taking hold and trying to reach for Daisy herself.

Without prompt, or her own movement, Daisy’s hand shot up, the lines along her arms seeming to glow as she reached for the lethal stems. Daniel pulled her away, her arm falling down. She was still in her unconscious state.

Daniel felt Kora’s hand on her shoulder. “We need to run!”

The two of them ran back toward the ship, but though Daniel expected the sand-mass and black plant things to follow them, it didn’t, staying in place as they made their way onto a more solid type of ground.

The three arrived back at the ship, out of breath. Agent Sean seemed to be waiting for them as he noticed their arrival. He opened the hatch inside, stepping out of the ship with an electronic pad in hand. “Sir, Shield has been trying to contact us, it sounds like an emergency. . .” his voice trailed off when he spotted Daisy in Daniel’s arms. “What happened?”

“She collapsed, get a medic,” Daniel instructed.

“Right.” Agent Sean was quick to motion to head out and grab their onboard medic, but Kora stopped him, taking the electronic pad from him. He seemed to pause taking in her injuries as well.

“I’m fine. I’ll take the call, maybe Simmons might know something that could help,” Kora said.

Agent Sean nodded, heading deeper into the ship.

Kora, Daniel and Daisy boarded. Kora started dialling, but the second they were off the planet Sousa noticed the change in Daisy’s body. Her loud beating heart stopped.

“Daisy?” he said, he put her on the hull of the ship, the hatch still open. He touched her chest; his concerns realized when he didn’t feel her heartbeat. “Kora, she’s not breathing!” he yelled, he wasn’t sure if she could even help.

Kora got through on the other end of the call, Coulson, Yoyo and Fitz on the other side on earth. Kora stammered telling them the situation before she literally dropped the electronic pad and reached over to Daisy, blasting life energy into her.

It didn’t work. She stayed still.

Daniel was frantic, what was he supposed to do? This wasn’t supposed to happen.

The black lines seemed to lose their glow, falling deeper under her skin. Daniel’s own heart beated harder, the worry and adrenaline rushing to him, as Kora tried again to blast her power into Daisy and she didn’t react.

“Come on,” she said, her voice filled with such guilt.

How long had it even been, two minutes at most, if the medic didn’t get here soon, she could have brain damage after this.

Daniel felt it then—or maybe thought it. The planet, the strange yellow sky, a pull. He looked outside, the change in her heartbeat had happened when they entered the ship. Maybe. . .

He didn’t even warn Kora as he picked Daisy up and brought her outside in his arms. He made a break for it for the solid ground of the planet.

“Daniel, what are you doing!?!” Kora yelled.

He wasn’t sure, it was a gamble, but then again so had their very meeting—but that had worked out.

When Daniel placed Daisy on the ground of the planet her skin’s new black veins glowed, her heartbeat returning in solid da-bumps, over and over again. Daniel was out of breath, Kora running down and seeing also what had taken place.

“But that. . . it’s like. . .”

“The planet has taken her hostage,” Daniel finished, looking down at Daisy. Her skin seemed pale, and he missed only just last night when they snuggled tight and he’d held her in his arms and thought of what he’d asked Coulson. Oh, they’d gotten Coulson on the phone. “You should tell him the situation, hopefully Simmons knows something.”

Kora nodded, jumping, she realized she’d dropped the pad and forgotten about her call in the haste. A medic came down with Agent Sean, but Daniel was worried he’d be no help, only Fitzsimmons had any chance of helping them now.

Daniel stroked Daisy’s hair as the medic took her vitals. Just what had those blue flowers done to her?

\-----

It smelt vaguely medical, or like a chemical; that’s what Daisy’s first thought was. It was also bright, yet not in the strange sort of sense. It seemed like the sun was overhead, but it was strangely wrong. Daisy stared at it, and well, it didn’t seem to hurt her eyes or give her sunspots.

Daisy reached for her inhuman abilities, but, nothing struck her. It was as if they’d been paused, or her body was paused. Daisy held out her hand, there were black lines running along the edges of her skin. Steams, they were from the flowers, Daisy thought abstractly.

Daisy finally pulled herself up. She stared out, an empty New York staring back at her. The streets and noise gone, the small patch of grass she’d called a park near her orphanage growing up the only comfort to the place. Of course, she knew it had to be wrong. This park, it’d been torn down, a high rise and a drug store put in its place. It didn’t exist anymore.

“I knew you’d figure out something was wrong.” A familiar form appeared next to her, and Daisy almost started crying when she recognized the face.

“Lincoln,” she mumbled, watching him sit there casually with such a nice smile. Her heart ached, and she almost leapt to hug him, but the black glow to her fingers stopped her. She frowned, staring down, realizing; that there was no way this was Lincoln. In fact, it was impossible, he was dead. She knew that.

“You think that,” the fake Lincoln said. “But you don’t know that. If I told you I possessed Lincoln’s memories, would your perspective change? Would I really be all that different from him?”

Daisy frowned. “You just admitted to not being him. Lincoln is dead.”

The fake Lincoln smiled. “That may be so, but I know you crave this body.” He brought a hand along Daisy’s cheek. It felt alien, the motion nothing like Lincoln would do to her. Yet, the hand, the way his finger stopped along her chin, that, the motion was from Lincoln.

She instantly got up and got in a stance to use her powers. Her arm reached out. “Sorry Daisy, but those quake powers won’t work here.”

The black lines in her arm glowed. She only now realized she wasn’t dressed in her attire from the ship, she was in a white sundress, making her nerves even worse than before.

Fake Lincoln grabbed her arm and pushed it down, the glow like instance to her veins dulling but still present.

Daisy looked around; the edges of this noiseless New York had a yellow hue to them. Like the planet she’d been on, the one where the flowers had attacked.

“Are you responsible for those? The flowers.”

Fake Lincoln smiled. “You mean my daisies, they could have taken on any shape, but I thought the daisy was appropriate.”

“Daisies aren’t blue,” Daisy said.

“But the sky is,” he replied.

Instinctively Daisy dropped her guard, she wasn’t sure why, but something about this place, it didn’t seem real, but somehow relaxing.

“Who are you exactly?”

“That is the question. But maybe instead of asking who I am, you should be asking what I want.”

Daisy’s stomach hurt. She held it, her head oddly spinning, as she fought to stay upright. Why had everything just gone so blurry?

“What’s happening to me?” She collapsed on one knee.

“Sorry, Daniel seems to like the idea of putting you out of your misery.” Fake Lincoln shrugged.

Daisy got angry with the mention of Daniel’s name. “Where is he, did you do something?” she went to stand up, but she got strangely dizzy again.

“Nothing actually, I would have brought him here, but seems entities out of time and other timelines can’t be brought into my space. It’s alright though; I brought the rest of your family.”

Daisy felt her lightheadedness recede after a few quick breaths. Whatever was going on she didn’t feel in control of her body. But wait; family? What did he mean? Was Kora here? Daisy vaguely hoped she wasn’t, she’d hate to drag her into this mess.

“I didn’t mean your blood ties Daisy.”

How was fake Lincoln reading her mind like this? If only Coulson was here, she knew he’d have a plan for a situation like this.

“Sadly I tried to bring your father here, but he couldn’t make the trip.”

Daisy blinked, her light-headedness finally faded away. She felt strange still, but at least like she could stand. Though she still couldn’t be sure she heard Fake Lincoln correctly.

“Sorry, my what. . .father? Cal is my father, not Coulson.”

Fake Lincoln tilted his head. “Not according to your innermost consciousness. I searched through your mind for those most close to you, and I found he was the one you considered a father.”

Daisy blushed but didn’t deny it. It was true, she considered the Coulson who died her father, and the LMD version, well he was pretty much the same thing.

“If you think that,” Fake Lincoln said, “then why can’t I be the same as the Lincoln whom you’ve lost, I mean I, like the LMD, have all the same memories.”

Daisy bit her lip before saying, “That is completely different.”

“Is it?”

Daisy wondered vaguely if it was, but either way this Fake Lincoln, this entity, he was not her dead boyfriend, for some reason she sensed he was evil, down to his core.

“Evil? Now that’s just rude.”

Fake Lincoln took on another form, one that Daisy hadn’t considered evil, but one she’d been guilty for loosing.

“Now Destroyer of Worlds, that’s just mean.”

Deke, or a Fake Deke, now stood in front of her. It could take on forms it seemed. Looked as if this monster had dug deeper into her head than she would have considered comfortable— but then again, she was in the park she’d snuck out to visit in her childhood. So clearly he’d searched her mind thoroughly.

“I even went to the trouble of bringing Nana here.”

Daisy’s heart leapt, he what?

“Simmons, she’s here?”

Fake Deke nodded. “Yep, who you consider your sister, who you consider your brother and who you consider your mother are also here. Sorry about the dad thing, but three out of four ain’t bad right?”

Daisy felt her heart leap.

“What, no you can’t—I.”

Daisy felt her throat close up. She grabbed her neck, collapsing back on her knee.

“Oh sorry, Daniel and Kora tried to bring you back on the ship again with a breathing machine. Sorry for the choking feeling. Seems they don’t get you can’t survive if they take you off my planet.”

Daisy tried to speak but no words came out, she couldn’t breathe all of a sudden. Then she took a large gasp of breath, coughing as her breath came back. She breathed more deeply, sucking in more air, or fake air, in wherever she was.

Fake Deke helped her up. “I’ll go bring your family by, might help you handle the situation better.”

“Wait, what, no—” another cough escaped Daisy. She took a deep breath, finally catching herself. But Fake Deke had already disappeared. She looked frantically, but instead of finding Deke, she found Simmons standing a few feet away, in another area of the park.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SOOOOOOOOOO THEORIES ANYONE!?!?!


	6. Orange Sand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daniel panics, May's somewhere, and Daisy tries to figure out what the heck is going on just like the very readers reading this.

**Chapter 6**

Daniel quickly pulled Daisy back onto the sandy planet. Her quick heartbeat and normal breathing returned once again. It was the third time they’d tried to bring her on the ship and it had ended in failure. Daniel desperately held her, making sure she was still breathing again. He patted her hair, his own heart beat-matching the steady beat that Daisy had gotten back.

Nothing was working, what was Daniel to do, this was crazy, why had the planet taken her hostage like this.

Daniel looked out over the desert planet, the sky still that strange hue of yellow against the orange desert sand. He remembered how the stems attacked Kora, and brushing a hand against Daisy’s skin he spotted those strange black stems growing through her arm like veins. It looked like a poison had seeped in her body.

The crew’s medic, Peter arrived, and got down on his knees, testing Daisy’s vitals again on the monitor they’d hooked up to her. It’s only been about twenty minutes since they brought her back from the blue flower field.

The medic checked Daisy’s vitals.

“What do we do?” Daniel asked. He had a desperation in his tone as his hand squeezed the sand beside Daisy. It was hot on top, but the centre of the sand was cold. Daisy's temperature was somewhere between that.

“I—“ the medic stumbled, as he checked over her vitals again. Daniel wished Kora had come back, but she was on call with the Shield team back on earth. Good, maybe they could figure something out.

The rest of the SWORD crew was looking at him and Daisy worriedly from up on deck. Daniel hated the audience, but right now he was the one in charge. It was just, Daisy, he couldn’t get over how she was looking, so delicate under his touch.

“I—it seems to be tied to the planet,” the medic stumbled out with muffled words.

“I can see that! But shouldn’t our medical equipment keep her breathing on the ship, and these, black veins.” The medic looked vaguely confused, pale-faced as Daniel yelled at him. It wasn’t his fault, but Daniel was frustrated at the third attempt.

Daniel had no clue what they were supposed to do, and neither did the medic.

Brushing aside more of Daisy’s hair, Daniel tried to get some of the sand off it. He thought of a few nights ago. She was so happy, to chat with her team again virtually. She’d been giggling in bed telling them of their stories.

It was then that he wanted to ask her if she’d marry him, sooner rather than later. But he’d kept the ring hidden, he knew he had to wait for a better opportunity. When they were on their way home. Even with Coulson’s permission and Kora’s suspicion, Daniel wanted to wait till they were headed back to earth. Now though, now he was worried he wouldn’t even get the opportunity.

_Don’t think like that_ , Daniel thought. Feeling Daisy’s forehead. It was normal, she was going to be okay, she’d wake up from this. So he had to take charge.

“We keep her on the planet,” Daniel said. He’d decided himself and knowing they didn’t have another choice. “Let’s set up a tent, and medic centre for her. Maybe Kora has contacted Simmons, and she’ll be able to figure out what’s up with Daisy remotely.” 

“In all honesty, her vitals are showing a normal heart rate for being asleep,” the medic said. “I. . .I’ll try and work on something remotely though.”

Daniel nodded, both unhappy and happy that at least her body was normal. Whether that meant she’d wake up though. Daniel cringed, he felt like crying, but with the crew behind him, he had to be strong, positive. Simmons would have a solution, he made him a leg, she’d be able to figure this out.

Daniel caressed Daisy’s face. “Please be okay,” he mumbled. He kissed her lips, and he then felt that leftover coolness from her many failed heart beats on the ship. He couldn’t lose her—and he wouldn’t. He’d sacrifice anything for Daisy, and he wouldn’t give her up to this alien planet so easily.

\-----

May awoke with a strange feeling in her side. She scrunched her face, the world around her oddly bright. Something underneath her, it was soft, eight-count thread sheets she thought idly. Like what she had when living with Andrew.

May shook her head, pulling herself up. She felt, groggy, but relaxed. Something was wrong.

What had happened? One minute she was talking with Finn, and now.

May pushed herself up, seeing that she’d been lying in a bed—though it didn’t appear medical.

It appeared to like a sort of master bedroom you’d find in some family home. Though, when May looked up she noticed the chandelier and expensive hand-painted forest artwork hanging on the wall over a flat-screen TV. So a nice master bedroom then.

May got out of bed and wandered around the room barefoot. She was dressed in a grey robe, with nothing underneath. That was a little odd, was this a dream? May touched an armoire in the room, an odd feeling as she brushed her hand against it. It didn’t feel like a dream. And then there was that weird feeling under on her hand.

Looking down at her wrists May noticed the odd-shaped lines under her skin. They were dark, black even, and looked like the stem of thorns found on a flower. She touched her arm, and though it didn’t move, May felt an odd prick of pain.

Dream or reality, that wasn’t normal.

May ignored her arms and opened the wardrobe. Despite not knowing anything about where she was, she wasn’t walking out naked. Thankfully—or weirdly—the wardrobe has her size of clothing, combat ready too. Before putting on the clothes, May searched the room’s drawers. She found where she usually kept her hidden knives in her own house, they were in the same spot here. Looking near the bed’s drawer she didn’t find the spot she usually stashed her gun. Odd, but at least there were the knives. Which just made everything the more strange she thought. 

May dressed in leggings and a long-sleeve shirt took up a defensive position and opened the door of the bedroom. It led out into a long stretching hallway with a railing on one side looking down to the first floor. It was a brightly lit hall, with wall-decorations and family photos that May didn’t bother checking as she kept her knife ready at her side as she moved toward the set of double-wide stairs.

There seemed to be a figure downstairs on the couch when she peered down. She hid for a second observing the figure, but when he didn’t move, May decided to make her way down quietly. Taking a fighting stance May was light and quick as she made her way to the bottom of the stairs. Sitting on the couch, holding what looked to be a family picture was a tall dark man.

May readied her knife, when over the man's shoulder she noticed the picture he was holding. Vaguely she thought back to the hall photos she’d ignored.

Her knife dropped. That wasn’t like her, teaching was making her soft.

“May?”

The figure turned around, it was Mack, which May had half guessed by the time she got in a good look at the photo.

“Mack, what the heck is that?” May asked, wondering if she should back up or try and snatch what he was holding.

Mack held out the framed photo. “I— I’m not sure, I woke up on the couch, and this photo was on the mantle, it caught my eye, cause well. . .”

May took the framed photo after retrieving her knife and pocketing it.

The picture was of five of them. Coulson and May with their arms around Daisy. Daisy was holding a graduation diploma for a degree from the University of California for Computer Science. She was dressed in a graduation robe with a wide smile on her face. Dressed in a dress beside her was Simmons, Mack wearing a Tux with his arm spread wide like he was about to hug the group.

“Did I miss something while I was out?” Mack asked as May held onto the photo. “Cause I remember Daisy saying she hadn’t even finished high school.”

May scanned a hand over the photo. “No, this. . .” this wasn’t right, this had never happened. “Just where the heck are we?”

\-----

Daisy walked forward approaching the confused-looking Simmons in her childhood park. “Jemma. . .” she said, a vague hope that it wasn’t actually her, it couldn’t be her. A part of her really hoped it was though.

“Daisy! Oh, thank God!” She ran up and wrapped Daisy in a hug. Daisy reciprocated but she was hesitant as her breath caught.

She felt a strange hand on her cheek. A ghostly type touch that was there then gone, a piece of her hair falling loose, the feeling of something on her lips there, but gone.

Simmons kept her in a hug, the world froze for a second before she let go, Daisy ignoring whatever that had been.

“Where even are we? This looks like New York, but. . .” Simmons looked around the area, and Daisy felt vague flashes from her childhood play through her mind. They were both painful and bittersweet. Daisy looked back at the orphanage, the nuns ushering children inside the church for Sunday mass as a bell-tower rang. Except there was no one outside, it was empty; the vague flashes maybe something more as Simmons was talking and Daisy couldn’t hear her for a quiet moment.

Simmons frowned, Daisy, snapping out of her head. What was wrong with her? Had it been the fake Lincoln/Deke? And was this him, or was this Simmons.

“Daisy?” she asked.

“Sorry, it’s ah, yeah we’re in New York. Or some type of illusion of New York anyway,” Daisy mumbled. For now she’d continue to believe this was Simmons.

“Illusion—” Simmons cut herself off looking down at Daisy’s arms, then her own. “Our, arms, this, what is this.”

The black lines, they looked even worse than before as Daisy stared at her hands. It wasn’t painful, but it sure felt strange. “They’re from the analysis. That flower, what you looked at that had my DNA. I. . .it’s the daisies, I’m not sure how, but. . .” Daisy was stumbling over herself as she became slightly dizzy again.

Simmons held her steady. “Hey I’m here, don’t worry. Just take it slow.”

Just as she said that though Jemma herself collapsed. “Simmons?” Her breathing caught, and then like she’d never been there, to begin with, she faded from Daisy’s touch, vanishing.

“Jemma? Jemma!” Daisy gripped her knees. Was she an illusion? No she felt so real. Daisy pulled herself up and looked around, trying to wrap her head around what was going on as New York started to crumble and turn to white around her.

The sky, the buildings, everything turned to a mushy white, Daisy having to close her eyes to get rid of the strange glare.

“Stop! Stop, whoever you are, please, just. . .what are you doing?”

The glare of white stopped. Daisy opened her eyes. She was now standing outside on a cul-de-sac with nicely done-up upper-middle-class homes. She was standing in one of the nicer ones' driveway, an Audi parked beside her, as Lincoln—fake Lincoln—walked out from the garage.

There was something familiar about this street, she couldn’t put her finger on it, but right now she didn’t care.

She ran up to the fake, trying to use her quake powers, but failing again, as she approached. “What did you do with Simmons?” Daisy said, her voice high with adrenaline. 

Lincoln. . .Fake Lincoln— gosh how could she distinguish him—held up his hand defensively.

“You don’t have to distinguish me, just call me how you see me, I’ll take whatever shape makes you most comfortable.”

“Don’t read my thoughts, where is Simmons!?!”

“She’s fine,” he said. “In fact, she’s inside this house, along with your mom and brother.”

Mom and brother? What was he talking about?

“You’ve already forgotten, your preferred, your chosen family; I brought them here for you.” 

“Then what was that with Simmons, why? Just to make her disappear?” Daisy asked, a plead in her tone as she took a step back from the fake Lincoln.

“To remind you Daisy, who’s in charge here.” Lincoln reached down and cupped Daisy’s cheek. She tried to move back, but she couldn’t move. He’d frozen her feet, the feel of the stems under her skin seeming to root her. “What’s under your skin makes you easy to control, I hold all four of your lives, Daisy.” Lincoln released her cheek. “If I wanted I could cut off any one of these connections. Kill the people you love, so remember that when I ask for what I want from you.”

Daisy gulped, her feet finally able to move, but now her fear locking her in place.

“And what is it you want from me?” she asked.

Lincoln just smiled, and the creepiness behind it took away any image of it ever being Lincoln.

“You’ll find out soon.” He brought his hand forward again. “For now, enjoy your family reunion my Queen.” Lincoln pulled a hand through Daisy’s hair, and just like he’d appeared, he disappeared. He left Daisy standing in front of a house leading to who knows who.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SORRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRYYYYYYYYYY FRIENDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> I was only taking four classes this semester so thought I wouldn't be busy, turns out I was though. So even though I had the draft of this chapter written out I didn't find time/motivation to work on it.   
> But rest assured this story has an ending, and I'm working my way there by publishing these chapters.   
> I will also probably have another chapter for you in late Decemebr. 
> 
> So I appreciate your patience, and just like you guys, I hate when a fic is on hiatus for a bit, and so I apologize. But I don't like to leave stories hanging, so even if I go on break, I'll be finishing this story. Just be patient as I get there :D And look after your mental health this December Christmas/Holiday season.
> 
> Love you guys!!!!!!

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, guys, I'm traumatized by the finale, but also feeling happy with how it ended. But of course, fan fiction wouldn’t have been invented were it not for wanting to know more after a series has its final end. Cue me going straight to writing after the finale airs, planning out this multichapter fic. Anyway as everyone cries I’ll go on writing for the next bit, trying to see the laptop screen through all this water in my eyes. 
> 
> Okay cool, enjoy!


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